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Glite Dictionary
run-of-the-mine

run-of-the-mine

7.2
Common and not special
  • adjective
  • /ˈrʌn əv ðə maɪn/
  • Informal
translation icon : común
  • The house was just another run-of-the-mine suburban home, indistinguishable from its neighbors.

Examples

  • Their performance was fairly run-of-the-mine, not particularly memorable but not terrible either.

  • The restaurant served a run-of-the-mine meal that didn't impress anyone.

  • Most candidates reviewed were run-of-the-mine applicants, with nothing unusual in their backgrounds.

  • This is a run-of-the-mine issue that many face.

  • The house was just another run-of-the-mine suburban home, indistinguishable from its neighbors.

  • Their performance was fairly run-of-the-mine, not particularly memorable but not terrible either.

  • The restaurant served a run-of-the-mine meal that didn't impress anyone.

Synonyms

nothing special
vsrun-of-the-mine
43 2.2

Ordinary and not very interesting

is the neutral expression that labels plain ordinariness
run-of-the-mill
vsrun-of-the-mine
  • Informal
24 3.3

Ordinary and not special

is the neutral general term highlighting lack of remarkability
unremarkable
vsrun-of-the-mine
20 3.5

Being ordinary and not interesting

is similar but framed as a plain, neutral quality
undistinguished
vsrun-of-the-mine
5 5.4

A person or thing that has no special quality

is broader, naming ordinariness rather than absence of distinction
unexceptional
vsrun-of-the-mine
3 4.4

Not special or impressive, just ordinary

is a common descriptor without emotional or ironic tone
nothing spectacular
vsrun-of-the-mine
1 3.4

Not very impressive or special

is the more general label for ordinary, not impressive items
unextraordinary
vsrun-of-the-mine
1 4.0

Not special or exciting

is the general neutral term rather than a descriptive judgment
mine run
vsrun-of-the-mine
  • Archaic
8.4

Not special or interesting

is the neutral general term focusing on being not special

Antonyms

extraordinary
  • Formal
859 3.8

Very unusual or much greater than usual

exceptional
  • Specialized
27 4.8

A child whose thinking or physical ability is much different from most children

How Ordinary

banal
21 7.2
mundane
80 4.3
run-of-the-mine
  • Informal
7.2
ordinary
683 1.0
average
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

run-of-the-mine positive

Etymology

The word run-of-the-mine is a variation of the familiar phrase run-of-the-mill. In that phrase, run means what a place produces regularly and a mill was a place that made simple everyday goods. So a run-of-the-mine is like ore that is common, which is why it means 'ordinary' or 'not special'.